State requests spaceport land near Oak Hill

Published: Sunday, January 20, 2013 at 8:29 p.m.

Last Modified: Sunday, January 20, 2013 at 9:09 p.m.

A state request asking for 150 acres of NASA-owned land near the Volusia-Brevard county line for a commercial spaceport didn't get the warm reception backers had hoped, but officials with the state's space development corporation say they plan to keep moving forward.

The proposed commercial launch complex is one of several efforts that Space Florida, the state-run public economic development corporation, is working on with local and regional leaders.

Space Florida also is trying to convince NASA to let it manage the former space shuttle landing facility for commercial business and working with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach and others to get the Federal Aviation Administration to designate the entire state as a test site for unmanned commercial aircraft.

Newly elected Volusia County Councilwoman Deb Denys hopes the state will win NASA's support for its proposals.

"I think it's very promising for all of Volusia County," said Denys, who recently met with Space Florida officials.

With the opportunities for job creation that a launch pad would bring, Denys said the potential is "tremendous."

Space Florida officials, who have indicated the spaceport would likely be in southern Volusia just south of Oak Hill, say they plan to keep moving forward on the launch complex proposal, regardless of the less-than-enthusiastic response from NASA. They are seeking proposals from companies interested in developing a commercial spaceport and also preparing to launch an environmental study of potential sites, still hoping to win NASA approval for the concept at some point.

Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll wrote the federal government last fall asking NASA for 150 acres of "excess" land north of Haulover Canal for the launch complex. The federal space agency owns roughly 12,000 acres in that vicinity. In total, it owns 140,000 acres at Cape Canaveral. Land not being actively used by the John F. Kennedy Space Center is managed as the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge and Canaveral National Seashore.

In a response released last week, NASA said the property in question isn't "excess," that it's still needed as a buffer zone between NASA missions and the community and as "a potential site for future mission requirements. However the agency indicated it would like to "further discuss" how it might make lands available for a commercial launch complex "independent of the federal range."

Space Florida President Frank DiBello called the response "disappointing," saying it did not reflect the "sense of urgency or commitment for commercial market thinking."

On Saturday, Dale Ketcham, Space Florida's chief of strategic alliances, said the corporation "won't give up on this effort to develop new commercial launch capabilities."

"We hope NASA will realize the urgency of our request and the need to respond to the market quickly," Ketcham said.

By Jan. 23, Space Florida expects to hear from companies interested in establishing a commercial launch complex to learn what those facilities might look like and how much space might be required. It hopes to use that information as a baseline for a contractor to conduct environmental and engineering studies for NASA-owned sites south of Oak Hill.

Some in the community have concerns about the expansion of commercial uses on the refuge and seashore land, fearing environmental damage and less public access for activities such as fishing and bird-watching.

Space Florida has been talking with groups to understand and try to address concerns, meeting recently with Space Coast Audubon in Brevard County, and a group of anthropologists who wanted to know more about the agency's plans to develop near the site of the former community of Shiloh, a historic community displaced in the 1950s when NASA took over the Cape.

Ketcham said Space Florida expects to kick off the formal environmental and engineering assessment sometime during the next couple of months, a process that will require "many opportunities for public comment and input."

Volusia County officials meet regularly with Space Florida, to offer support on several fronts, said Rick Karl, director of aviation and economic resources for the county.

The county's goal is to see a small percentage of the land in the seashore or refuge used for the commercial spaceport "in an environmentally sensitive way," Karl said, while ensuring that "the vast majority of the acreage around Haulover Canal and Mosquito Lagoon is preserved for environmental purposes."

SHUTTLE FACILITY'S FUTURE

Florida officials also are waiting on a decision from NASA regarding the former shuttle landing facility. Carroll's letter last fall asked federal officials to consider turning over that land to Space Florida.

The Space Center recently began soliciting proposals from groups that might want the facility, "seeking the best ideas to re-purpose/re-utilize" its capabilities. Acknowledging the environmental concerns that have thwarted several previous attempts to develop additional facilities at the Cape, the center's guidelines stated potential bidders would need to "understand the environmental factors present."

The Space Center is developing an overall future plan for its property in Brevard and Volusia and is conducting an environmental impact analysis. A center-wide environmental impact statement is expected in May 2014.

The Space Center's official schedule calls for handing off the landing facility to a partner by Oct. 1.

The center said it is "committed to working with private industry in new and innovative ways as the agency's premier launch center adapts to changing space flight, research and exploration goals in America."

VOLUSIA SEEKS DRONE TEST SITE

Space Florida also is working with Volusia County, as well as Embry-Riddle, to develop Volusia as an "active research and development location" for unmanned systems.

The FAA is under a mandate from Congress "to do the homework necessary to understand what technologies are going to be required" to allow that to happen and to have it done by 2016, Ketcham said.

Congress directed the FAA to establish six test ranges where those policies could be worked out.

But, that process is moving forward more slowly than originally planned.

The FAA is collecting screening information it will use to choose the test sites. The agency received 228 public comments over the summer. Once the screening policies are in place, the agency will seek responses from entities that want to manage the test sites, FAA officials said last week.

Space Florida's plan is to "propose the entire state as a test range, not a single location," Ketcham said.

That would include military bases where drone activity is already under way and has been for decades, the Gulf of Mexico, already used as a test range, and Daytona Beach, home of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, which hopes to be a major player in that industry as it moves forward.

Florida only has to come in sixth to win, Ketcham said. "We're pretty confident and we're putting together a pretty good proposal," he said.

<p>A state request asking for 150 acres of NASA-owned land near the Volusia-Brevard county line for a commercial spaceport didn't get the warm reception backers had hoped, but officials with the state's space development corporation say they plan to keep moving forward. </p><p>The proposed commercial launch complex is one of several efforts that Space Florida, the state-run public economic development corporation, is working on with local and regional leaders. </p><p>Space Florida also is trying to convince NASA to let it manage the former space shuttle landing facility for commercial business and working with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach and others to get the Federal Aviation Administration to designate the entire state as a test site for unmanned commercial aircraft. </p><p>Newly elected Volusia County Councilwoman Deb Denys hopes the state will win NASA's support for its proposals. </p><p>"I think it's very promising for all of Volusia County," said Denys, who recently met with Space Florida officials. </p><p>With the opportunities for job creation that a launch pad would bring, Denys said the potential is "tremendous." </p><p>Space Florida officials, who have indicated the spaceport would likely be in southern Volusia just south of Oak Hill, say they plan to keep moving forward on the launch complex proposal, regardless of the less-than-enthusiastic response from NASA. They are seeking proposals from companies interested in developing a commercial spaceport and also preparing to launch an environmental study of potential sites, still hoping to win NASA approval for the concept at some point. </p><p>Lt. Gov. Jennifer Carroll wrote the federal government last fall asking NASA for 150 acres of "excess" land north of Haulover Canal for the launch complex. The federal space agency owns roughly 12,000 acres in that vicinity. In total, it owns 140,000 acres at Cape Canaveral. Land not being actively used by the John F. Kennedy Space Center is managed as the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge and Canaveral National Seashore. </p><p>In a response released last week, NASA said the property in question isn't "excess," that it's still needed as a buffer zone between NASA missions and the community and as "a potential site for future mission requirements. However the agency indicated it would like to "further discuss" how it might make lands available for a commercial launch complex "independent of the federal range." </p><p>Space Florida President Frank DiBello called the response "disappointing," saying it did not reflect the "sense of urgency or commitment for commercial market thinking." </p><p>On Saturday, Dale Ketcham, Space Florida's chief of strategic alliances, said the corporation "won't give up on this effort to develop new commercial launch capabilities." </p><p>"We hope NASA will realize the urgency of our request and the need to respond to the market quickly," Ketcham said. </p><p>By Jan. 23, Space Florida expects to hear from companies interested in establishing a commercial launch complex to learn what those facilities might look like and how much space might be required. It hopes to use that information as a baseline for a contractor to conduct environmental and engineering studies for NASA-owned sites south of Oak Hill. </p><p>Some in the community have concerns about the expansion of commercial uses on the refuge and seashore land, fearing environmental damage and less public access for activities such as fishing and bird-watching. </p><p>Space Florida has been talking with groups to understand and try to address concerns, meeting recently with Space Coast Audubon in Brevard County, and a group of anthropologists who wanted to know more about the agency's plans to develop near the site of the former community of Shiloh, a historic community displaced in the 1950s when NASA took over the Cape. </p><p>Ketcham said Space Florida expects to kick off the formal environmental and engineering assessment sometime during the next couple of months, a process that will require "many opportunities for public comment and input." </p><p>Volusia County officials meet regularly with Space Florida, to offer support on several fronts, said Rick Karl, director of aviation and economic resources for the county. </p><p>The county's goal is to see a small percentage of the land in the seashore or refuge used for the commercial spaceport "in an environmentally sensitive way," Karl said, while ensuring that "the vast majority of the acreage around Haulover Canal and Mosquito Lagoon is preserved for environmental purposes."</p><p> </p><p></p><p></p><p><b> SHUTTLE FACILITY'S FUTURE </b> </p><p></p><p> </p><p></p><p>Florida officials also are waiting on a decision from NASA regarding the former shuttle landing facility. Carroll's letter last fall asked federal officials to consider turning over that land to Space Florida. </p><p>The Space Center recently began soliciting proposals from groups that might want the facility, "seeking the best ideas to re-purpose/re-utilize" its capabilities. Acknowledging the environmental concerns that have thwarted several previous attempts to develop additional facilities at the Cape, the center's guidelines stated potential bidders would need to "understand the environmental factors present." </p><p>The Space Center is developing an overall future plan for its property in Brevard and Volusia and is conducting an environmental impact analysis. A center-wide environmental impact statement is expected in May 2014. </p><p>The Space Center's official schedule calls for handing off the landing facility to a partner by Oct. 1. </p><p>The center said it is "committed to working with private industry in new and innovative ways as the agency's premier launch center adapts to changing space flight, research and exploration goals in America."</p><p> </p><p></p><p><b> VOLUSIA SEEKS DRONE TEST SITE </b> </p><p></p><p> </p><p></p><p>Space Florida also is working with Volusia County, as well as Embry-Riddle, to develop Volusia as an "active research and development location" for unmanned systems. </p><p>The FAA is under a mandate from Congress "to do the homework necessary to understand what technologies are going to be required" to allow that to happen and to have it done by 2016, Ketcham said. </p><p>Congress directed the FAA to establish six test ranges where those policies could be worked out. </p><p>But, that process is moving forward more slowly than originally planned. </p><p>The FAA is collecting screening information it will use to choose the test sites. The agency received 228 public comments over the summer. Once the screening policies are in place, the agency will seek responses from entities that want to manage the test sites, FAA officials said last week. </p><p>Space Florida's plan is to "propose the entire state as a test range, not a single location," Ketcham said. </p><p>That would include military bases where drone activity is already under way and has been for decades, the Gulf of Mexico, already used as a test range, and Daytona Beach, home of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, which hopes to be a major player in that industry as it moves forward. </p><p>Florida only has to come in sixth to win, Ketcham said. "We're pretty confident and we're putting together a pretty good proposal," he said. </p><p>Even if Florida isn't chosen, Space Florida officials said it won't change anything already happening. </p><p>Ketcham said they're "still moving forward with a variety of institutions and companies."</p>